You're already paying for software.
The question isn't whether you can afford a bespoke system. It's whether the monthly cheque you already write could be buying you one that fits — with the AI built in — instead of one that doesn't.
How the money works
Two numbers, and one of them usually disappears into the other.
The build
Quoted and agreed with you before anything starts, so there’s no open meter and no surprise. It’s far lower than traditional development because of the AI tooling I build with — work that used to take a team a quarter can take me weeks.
The monthly fee
Covers running it: hosting in the UK, support, and the improvements that come from actually using the thing. Most clients roll the build into this rather than paying it up front, so there’s no capital project to get signed off.
What that usually lands at
For a system replacement, near what you’re already paying your current software vendor each month. You’re not adding a bill — in most cases you’re redirecting one you already have.
Why this is cheaper than you think
Bespoke software used to mean a six-figure project, a year of scoping, and a real chance of ending up with something that didn't solve the problem. That maths is what pushed everyone onto off-the-shelf systems in the first place, and it's the maths most business owners are still carrying around.
It has changed. Building with AI development tools, a system that would have taken a team months takes me weeks — and small things are often resolved in a single sitting. Once the build cost drops that far, it stops needing to be a capital project at all. It becomes a line in the monthly fee, sitting roughly where your existing licence already sits.
Which means the honest comparison isn't “bespoke versus off-the-shelf.” It's “the same monthly cost, for a system that’s better.”
Before you spend anything
The conversation is free. It's the build you pay for.
Most jobs start with a conversation, not a proposal. Tell me the system that's in the way, the workflow eating your team's week, the idea you haven't had time to test — and I'll tell you what's possible, what isn't, and what I'd do. If replacing your system is the wrong move, I'll say that too.
You bring the business. I bring the build.
You don't need to arrive with a specification. Most business owners aren't system architects, and it isn't fair to ask them to be. I've seen too many projects where a developer builds exactly what was asked for, the result doesn't solve the problem, and the customer gets blamed for writing the wrong spec. You describe the outcome; working out the right shape for it is my job.
If it's small, I'll build it free so you can see it working.
Where a proof of concept is small enough to do in a couple of days, I'll build it on one of your own jobs at no charge. Seeing it run on your business is what makes it real — far more than any amount of me describing it — and it shows you the kind of fit off-the-shelf software can't give you. There's no obligation afterwards.
Start small, go for the low-hanging fruit.
The biggest mistake I see is trying to plan everything up front. It's the approach hourly consultancies favour — the longer the scoping, the bigger the invoice — but you get much better results by picking one focused problem, shipping it, and going from there. Confidence builds with each result, and you quickly learn where the next bit of leverage is. Plenty of clients start with a single AI solution alongside their existing system and only replace it later.
Start a conversation — no chargeWant to know what it would cost you?
Bring the invoice from your current software provider. That's genuinely the most useful thing you can put on the table.